Mirrabooka, an Aboriginal name for Southern Cross, was a talented and spirted dark brown gelding who found success with rider Neale Lavis. Neale purchased the horse for 100 pounds and after his sterling performance at the Rome Olympics, Mirrabooka could have fetched up to 10,000 pounds for his owner, but Lavis refused to sell him.   

Mirrabooka won several Showjumping events in England, was fourth at the Badminton Horse Trials and six weeks before the Rome Olympic Games won the International Great Auckland Combined Training Event. It was the Rome Olympics where Mirrabooka made his mark, contributing to the gold medal winning performance of the Australian team and individually winning silver.

Five weeks out from the Rome Games Mirrabooka became lame and Neale had to decide if he would ride his leading horse or call upon his reserve. He knew that Mirrabooka would not let him down and so he stuck with him and the pair went onto produce a famous performance which secured the individual silver medal.

Four years later Mirrabooka competed with Lavis at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.